Health statistics in The Netherlands for health policy and evaluation: Experience and developments

Abstract

In The Netherlands the use of statistical data for health management, planning and evaluation has increased manifold since the early seventies. Changes in public health policy were a strong impetus for this development. The development of health statistics takes place with regard to a description of the status of health of the population, of health resources, and of provided health services. A quantitative description of each category and sub-category of the system is necessary, but what is more important is that health statistics contribute to the required insight in the relation between health resources, health services rendered and the way in which services meet their demand. New legislation leads to the revision of the organization of data collection, transmission, analysis, etc. The WHO strategy “Health for All by the Year 2000” and national scenario studies also provide stimuli for the further development of health statistics.